Gunna’s latest album, “The Last Wun” stays with Gunna’s classic flow but also introduces a new vibe to Gunna’s catalog. The 25 song project, released on Aug. 8, establishes a singing aspect to the album that listeners haven’t seen from the Grammy-nominated artist as much. This album includes collaborations with Offset, Burna Boy, Wizkid, etc.
Sergio Kitchens, also known as “Gunna”, is a 32-year-old rapper from College Park, Georgia, recognized for his musical flow, melodic beats, and being a part of the YSL Record Label alongside fellow Grammy-nominated artist Young Thug.
Fans have waited over a year for this project, as his previous studio album, “One of Wun”, was released on May 10, 2024. It included hits like “one of wun”, “prada dem” with offset, and “on one tonight”. All three are listed in Gunna’s top 20 most listened-to songs according to Apple Music.
Because of the new album’s title, many fans and people in the music industry have been theorizing about Gunna’s future in music. “‘The Last Wun’ is a victory lap that leaves a trail of questions and a farewell that doubles as a statement of intent,” says Revolt writer Jon Powell. Gunna’s impact on rap over the last six years, since his first studio album, “Drip or Drown 2” has been nothing short of impressive, as he has only been under the bright lights of the rap industry for less than a decade.
Although his time in the rap game has been short, his impact through multiple certified platinum albums, high-profile collaborations, and innovation in his music is nothing to brush over.
The album opens up with “many nights” delivering a calm and rather quiet setting. Compared with some of his other opening songs, like “200 FOR LUNCH” on “WUNNA (Deluxe)” and “back at it” on his 2023 project “a Gift & a Curse” all of which have a much faster pace to them, “many nights” brings listeners a different experience. Overall, this introductory track sets a soft tone that picks up through the next couple songs, but it was slightly lackluster compared to previous opening tracks and the rest of the album.
The project picks up to classic Gunna with “just say dat”, opening the flood gates to Gunna rapping over a melodic beat. He carries this throughout “gp”, “sakpase”, and “at my purest” featuring Offset. This was a breath of fresh air, hearing him rap over this type of beat again with the first two songs being softer and not his normal tempo.
The ninth track, “wgft”, featuring Burna Boy currently lands at the number one spot in Gunna’s Top Music chart on Apple Music, surpassing “P power” featuring Drake and “Sold Out Dates” with Lil Baby. “wgft” is easily the grooviest song on the album, with an addictive beat and catchy instrumentals. The track continues to have a long-lasting impact on “The Last Wun”, thanks to the attention the song attracts.
Although the song was only released in August, the track’s rise-to-the-top spot has not only impacted Gunna’s career, but also Burna Boy, with this song, “wgft”, becoming his first top 10 song on the Billboard Hot Hip-Hop chart. Billboard writer Trevor Anderson stated, “The track climbs 11-10 on the list dated Sept. 20, in its fifth charting week.”
“The Last Wun” is a strong addition to Gunna’s catalog alongside his certified platinum albums. The project started strong through the first twelve songs, but quickly dropped off into very repetitive and forgettable pieces to this project. The highlights are very strong and remind me of 2020 Gunna when he made the best music of his career, but the lowlights are slow. I feel like they’re missing a key element to them. This album is definitely worth a listen, but I’d recommend sticking to the highlights of the album.
